BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2146
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 7, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   AB 2146 (Skinner) - As Amended:  March 28, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              LaborVote:7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Standards  
          Board (Standards Board), within 30 days of the adoption by the  
          National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) of new standards for  
          firefighters' personal protection equipment (PPE), to commence a  
          review of existing regulations for personal protective clothing  
          and equipment for firefighters to determine if the new standards  
          provide a greater degree of protection to a firefighter.  The  
          Standards Board shall consider modifying existing regulations if  
          they determine that the NFPA standards provide a greater degree  
          of protection and reflect a new safety standard for  
          firefighters. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)Annual costs to the Standards Board in the range of $25,000 to  
            $30,000 to review the NFPA standards.  

          2)Significant state and local cost pressure, potentially in the  
            millions, if the board determines existing regulations need to  
            be updated.  Possible state mandated reimbursable costs for  
            the purchase of new PPE if the regulations are found to  
            constitute a "new program or higher level of service."

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . The sponsors of the bill, the California Professional  
            Firefighters, state that it is necessary to ensure that  
            firefighter PPE standards are up-to-date. CalOSHA standards  
            for firefighter head, hand and wrist protections, for example,  
            have not been updated by the Standards Board in over 25 years.  
             Other state firefighting PPE standards, such as respiratory  








                                                                  AB 2146
                                                                  Page  2

            and body protections have not been updated by the Standards  
            Board in about 15 years.  The sponsors see this bill as a  
            means to reducing the number of job-caused injuries and  
            illnesses sustained by firefighters due to outdated,  
            inadequate PPE.

           2)Prior legislation  . AB 2184 (De Le�n) of 2008 would have  
            required the Standard Board to review and adopt revised state  
            regulations that are, at a minimum, in conformance with the  
            NFPA PPE standards by December  31, 2009.  AB 2148 was held in  
            this committee.

           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081